Gary Bettman’s hastily arranged news conference prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals Wednesday was the perfect opportunity for the NHL commissioner to applaud the recent success of the Kings, the new league power rising from the West.

He could have pointed to another loud, frenzied sellout crowd at Staples Center, the one that’s given the Kings a huge lift in their first-round series against Vancouver, and proudly proclaimed it proof of the long-range potential of hockey in Los Angeles, and perhaps the signaling of an even healthier NHL itself.

But he didn’t.

He could have mentioned

the detail-oriented rebuilding plan Kingsgeneral manager Dean Lombardi carefully crafted four years ago, focusing on drafting and developing a core of young players, then asking for patience and understanding from fans as those youngsters grew and matured together.

Lombardi’s plan is an example for other struggling teams around the league hoping to breathe life into their franchises and their frustrated fan bases, unquestioned evidence that persistence and conviction eventually pays off.

There was no questioning that Wednesday as the Kings whipped Staples Center into frenzy by coming back to tie Game 4 in the third period, only to fall 6-4, the winning goal scored by Henrik Sedin with 2:52 remaining.

While the outcome was disappointing, it did nothing to dampen the rising fortunes of a Kings franchise that has undergone a complete transformation over the past four years.

Not that Bettman bothered to acknowledge any of it.

Instead it was the same old smug commissioner, downplaying any personal appreciation for the Kings and their newfound vitality, as if to say their vibrancy means the same to the health of the NHL as, well, that of the Vancouver Canucks. As for the Kings rebirth this year, Bettman said he found no more satisfaction in it than he would any other team in the league, and to draw any conclusions that success in LosAngeles is any more significant than in Columbus or North Carolina or Edmonton is just plain wrong.

“We want all of our teams to be successful, we want all of our buildings to be full,” he said. “All teams go through down periods, and whenever a team goes through a down period, it’s nice to see, for their fans, not for the league, but for their fans and the organization, it’s nice to see them have some success. That is my view universally for all 30 franchises.”

Huh? Look, with all due respect to our Canadian friends to the north, or those in Atlanta and Nashville down south, it goes without saying a healthy, exciting team in Los Angeles can do wonders for the future of the NHL. And to deny that or hide from it is absurd.

Think about the last time the Kings enjoyed sustained success in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s after acquiring Wayne Gretzky, and think about how much the NHL flourished as a result.

Five years after Gretzky’s arrival from Edmonton, the once floundering Kings were playing for the Stanley Cup, and soon after franchises were sprouting up in unlikely locations like San Jose, Phoenix, Anaheim and Nashville.

Gretzky took hockey to another level in the United States, paving the way for the game to flourish in cities it never would have without his impact. But it obviously helped his platform was Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the country. Had Gretzky played in Buffalo or Minnesota, who’s to say the impact would have been the same?

With the latest hockey revolution ready to unfold in Los Angeles, a young, talented team prepared to make a prolonged run and a passionate fan base filling the arena in support, the NHL can certainly benefit.

Bettman knows all this. He’s a shrewd, New York lawyer and a former confidante to NBA commissioner David Stern, who two decades ago took a provincial league and made it a global sensation. Of course, it helped that Stern had Magic Johnson in Los Angeles and Michael Jordan in Chicago to help fuel his vision.

Bettman understands the benefit of a healthy team in L.A., but he just won’t talk about it, at least not publically.

See, the commissioner walks a fine line when it comes to the Kings, understanding any public show of appreciation for their success raises eyebrows throughout the league, especially in Canada, which already has major issues with the perceived preferential treatment for teams that play in the United States.

In Los Angeles, Canada and smaller market teams in the United States see the glitz and the glamour and wonder what lengths Bettman and the league might go to seize an opportunity to cash in.

The reality is Bettman doesn’t have to do anything; the Kings are doing just fine rebuilding their empire on their own, and after years of languishing, the plan they committed to four years ago is now coming to fruition.

They didn’t need Bettman’s help to make it happen; it just took a good blueprint and some persistence. And they won’t need his help from here on out, either.As long as they stay healthy and stick to the plan, they’ll be fine.

It’s OK for Bettman to acknowledge that, and even admit the NHL stands to benefit big time if the Kings go on a run the next few years. A healthy team in Los Angeles is good for the NHL, and the commissioner should not be afraid to admit that.

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